As Long As I Have To
by CJbean
Summary: "The question is, Lieutenant...just how long are you going to put up with me?" "As long as I have to," Their pomegranate-colored stain seeps all the way through, deep enough that it will never wash out, and he decides that is long enough. (Royai, Edwin)


**I'm currently working on PATF and my Royai themes, and I will update as soon as I can. In the meantime, I wanted to post something new. Thanks to StarrySky0103, who proof-read this, though it was so long ago she probably doesn't remember. Enjoy! ^_^**

** This is Not a Quiet Place**

The grass swayed in the breeze, the land rolling in long, green waves. A small yellow butterfly flitted against a cornflower-blue sky. Not a single cloud soiled the blue, and all was quiet.

_Very quiet, _Roy thought, watching the yellow house warily, as if he expected it to explode. So different from Central, with its cars and people and constant noise. It was strange to think that Edward Elric-Ed with his bold voice and loud personality that could fill up a room-had been raised in the quiet little town of Risenpool.

Did he want to see Edward? He had been looking forward to this event for the last month, but now as he stood there, bottle of Merlot in his hand and subordinate at his side, he found himself dreading it.

Ed was getting married. Married. It didn't make sense to Mustang at all. Edward Elric was twelve years old. He was naive and reckless and half Roy's height. He was a kid. Not any more. Roy frowned at the "Automail" sign in front of the house. He had spent is entire past thinking about the future, and now the future had come too fast.

"General," Jerked out of his reverie, Roy turned his attention to his traveling companion. "Do you plan on going inside? It's a lovely day, but i think we should make our presence known, dont you?" Her voice was flat as ever, but her chocolate-brown eyes twinkled with amusement.

He blinked. "Yeah," he said slowly. "Let's go."

But he didn't move. He couldn't. He was frozen to the spot in this bizarre world of open fields and yellow butterflies and crazy commitments.

Riza looked down at her feet, clad in black flats, and Roy looked over at Riza. Her dark green sundress was a bit plain for a wedding, but this wasn't a very formal wedding anyway. The edge of the skirt lingered around her knees, and the V-neck plunged deep enough to cause a brief flutter in his stomach, but not enough so that he was tempted to stare. She clasped in front of her a bouquet of white lilies, her gift to the bride and groom, and her soft, blonde hair was swirled into an elegant bun. She looked strangely feminine and seemed to radiate innocence, which he knew she unfortunately did not possess. He wasn't sure if the misleading image made him want to laugh or cry. Either way, Roy could not prevent the smile that crept onto his lips as he watched her attempt to flatten a particularly stubborn strand of hair that had come loose from her hair-do, and was dancing teasingly in the wind. She tucked it behind her ear repeatedly, her brow furrowing a little when it still refused to stay put.

"Here, Hawkeye," he laughed, stepping closer. He gently fingered the strand and tucked it into her bun.

She turned to face him, a light smile gracing her lips. "Thank you, sir. Now, can we _please_ go inside?"

The General swallowed hard and obliged, walking forward, up the slightly creaky steps and onto the porch, but when he raised his fist, ready to knock, he just couldn't bring himself to let it fall.

Damn it, Mustang! You can survive a war and face immortal beings, but you're too scared to see your ex-subordinate in a tux.

"They grow up fast don't they," He looked back, surprised, at Riza, who gazed wistfully at the closed door. When he didn't reply, she continued. "But you shouldn't worry, sir," The hint of a smile crossed her face. "Life may have changed, but Edward wont. He'll always be Fullmetal."

Roy blinked, not comprehending. What did she mean? That Ed was the same person that he was when he was an alchemist?

Before he could figure it out, Riza pushed in front of him, and rapped her knuckles smartly on the door. Hurried footsteps-like rain hammering on rooftops, but he supposed it didn't rain much here-and then it swung open. Roy swallowed again, raising his eyes to meet to bright blue ones.

"General Mustang! Riza!"

Neither officer had time to return her greeting before they heard another familiar voice, and the sound of metal on wood resonating through the hall...

"Captain Hawkeye! Colonel Bastard!"

Roy bit down on grin, feeling all of his anxiety drain away. "Hey, it's General now!" he shouted indignantly, knowing it was what Ed wanted, but not caring. Winry rolled her eyes dramatically at Riza, who just laughed and shook her head affectionately. She was right. Married or not, grown up or not, Edward Elric would always be Edward Elric.

** I hope you liked it! This story is very light-hearted, and not the most interesting of my ideas, but I know where I'm going with it, so I should post regularly. However, the next chapter will probably be much longer, and may take a while to write. I have a strange feeling that someone is OOC...if so please tell me and I'll fix it.**


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